Tea and a warm blanket
by Belle D'Arcy
Summary: Lisbon is tired after having had to kill two criminals, and she has lowered her defenses. So she agrees to go with Jane to his place. What does the magnetic consultant have in mind for her? Just after S01E02 Red Hair and Silver Tape


It had been a tough day. The funeral that they were currently attending was perhaps the least depressing part of it. Teresa was desperate to go home and forget about it. There was a hand on her shoulder and Jane's voice came from far away, soft and barely audible:

'Come with me.'

'What?' Lisbon said distractedly.

'Come on, I will take you to my place.'

'Jane, no offense, but I've had a tough day and I don't need any more of your banter.'

'I am serious, Lisbon. You need a cup of tea and some rest.'

'All of which things I will find at my own home.'

'I was not suggesting we go to a restaurant and book a hotel room afterwards. You are right, we had quite enough of that today.'

'Then what _are_ you suggesting?' Lisbon sounded resigned.

Jane hesitated. For the first time since the shooting Lisbon really looked at him. He seemed almost as unhappy as she felt.

'Spit it out, Jane', she insisted impatiently.

'Lisbon, you killed two people today.'

'It's not as if you gave me a lot of choice.'

'I know. I'm sorry. All I am asking is for you to let me apologize.'

'By making me tea?'

'Are you surprised?'

'No', Lisbon sounded tired. 'Tea is who you are, isn't it.'

Jane didn't respond. He put his hand on her shoulder again and gently guided her to her car.

~TM TM TM TM TM TM ~

Back at his place, he left Lisbon on the sofa in the living room and went to put the water on the stove. They had hardly spoken in the car, each deep in their own thoughts. Now that she was sitting here, in his apartment, surrounded by his scent, Teresa could not help but replay their earlier discussion in her head. It seemed like a week ago. And yet, she could remember every twinkle of his eyes as he had told her that seducing her over a meal would be sophomoric. She would never admit it, not even to herself, but she always thought that one day Jane would try to seduce her and it would be the first grown-up thing she'd see him do. She was really scared sometimes by how well he seemed to read her.

Jane came back and sat on the edge of the sofa. It was not as if there was nowhere else to sit and Lisbon gave him a look that told him so.

'Oh, come on, Lisbon, I am trying here.'

Lisbon just rolled her eyes.

'It was the first death _I_ noticed live too, you know.' Jane sounded genuinely sad and Lisbon's voice cracked as she said:

'I know. I am sorry. I should have trusted you more. It didn't have to end this way.'

'You should trust me far more often than you do. Still, I wouldn't hold it against you. I don't exactly look reliable.'

'No, you don't.'

'Tell you what, how about we watch some not crime-related TV for a change?'

'What do you mean 'for a change'?' Lisbon was suspicious.

'I know what you'd say – those are not technically series, they are more like filmed case files. But you can't fool me. I know a sucker for a mystery when I see one and you, my dear…' The teapot was whistling. Jane's voice trailed off and he jumped to go get the tea.

Lisbon stood up to find the remote and stretch. She was feeling quite tired but did not want to fall asleep on her friend's sofa. Her friend. It was the first time she called him that, even in her head. All this time she had tried to distance herself from him, to keep this professional, whatever _this_ was. It was pointless, she now knew. Jane wasn't and never could be professional. Did she like this about him? She hated to admit that she probably did. A little.

Jane returned with two mugs, spoons and some sugar. Lisbon grabbed the remote control and sat back down on one end of the sofa. Jane made to spoon some sugar in her tea but she stopped him with a slight shake of the head. So he handed her the cup and gently pulled the black plastic pile of buttons from her hand. It was early evening and there was no point in looking for something especially interesting on TV. Lisbon was just about to voice her thoughts when Jane sat beside her and switched to Animal Planet. There was a show on about raising young elephants whose parents had been slain by poachers.

'Jane, what the…' Lisbon started to say, but Jane put a finger on her lips and smiled.

'Just sit back and relax', he said. 'Drink your tea. Try not to think about work, or reports, or dead people.'

Lisbon rolled her eyes and then closed them and laid her head against the back of the sofa. It felt good to not have to think. And although Jane was a bit closer than she would have ideally liked, the heat from his body made her feel tensed and safe in equal amounts. Jane was barely breathing, it seems, as Teresa soon stopped registering his presence at all. She felt herself slowly drifting away. And then his hands were on her thighs, and then on her shoulders, and he was covering her with a blanket, and it was over before she could even pop her eyes open.

'Sleep, sleep. It's not nearly as much fun as watching it live anyway', Jane soothingly whispered next to her. Before she knew it, she was asleep.

~TMTMTMTMTM~

When she woke up, Lisbon was alone, lying on the sofa, tucked neatly under the blanket. The TV was off and Jane was nowhere to be seen. There was, however, a delicious smell of coffee coming from the kitchen. That, and the small note on the table.

_Gone on a safari. Should be back in a couple of weeks. Hope no one gets murdered by then. _

_Jane _

_P.S. Still got about half an hour if you decide to join me._


End file.
